Page 101 of I Knew You
As we said our goodbyes, the call disconnected.
“That was brave of her,” Kallie remarked. “I like her.”
“Me too. But I had no idea what to say,” I replied, placing the phone on the car’s middle console.
“We haven’t talked about it in a few days. What is the plan here? When are you going to talk to him?” Kallie tried to act nonchalant, but I could see the eagerness in her eyes for me to spill my inner thoughts.
I sighed. “I don’t know. Does he even want to talk to me?”
“Well, his hot ass came over the night I arrived and growled at me to get to you.”
“I remember. I was there.”
“And, you said you love him.”
“I did say that, didn’t I? But he’s not perfect. He has a few quirks, things I should consider. He leaves his dirty shoes sitting all over the house, which drives me insane. He wakes up way too early.”
“Is this what we’re calling quirks these days? He sounds positively beastly.” Her sarcasm was palatable.
“He’s also stubborn, possessive, and overdoes everything.He can’t give the minimum. He has to give 110% to everything. It’s off-putting.”
“I can’t get Brandon to do shit. These sound like good qualities, not bad ones. You should talk to him.”
“I know, I’m going to,” I said with a sigh, “after you leave town.” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “I thought you didn’t like Bram.”
She shrugged. “He’s growing on me. And if you’re going to be married forever, I must learn to love him. And I guess your brother, too.”
I sent her a pointed look. “You don’t know Whit, don’t judge him too harshly.”
“I call them as I see them. And he was a terrible brother to shrug you off and make you fend for yourself after your grandmother died. Not a fan.”
“I appreciate your undying devotion, but if I have to forgive them both, you have to, too.”
“Was that not what I said?” She smirked and then began cackling enthusiastically. “You’re so gonna get boned.”
My mouth fell open. “Kallie!”
“Boned with a capitalB. Actually, it’ll probably be all sweet and shit. Which is what you deserve for your first time.” Her eyebrows wiggled.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“Sometimes I can be. But listen, if his sister says he’s pining for you, then the man is pining,” Kallie shrugged, turning the car off the school’s street. “She would know.”
“I’m still looking for a sign,” I hummed. “He hasn’t texted my phone once.”
“Oh. It’ll come,” she replied with a grin. “That’s what she said.”
Our laughter echoed off the small interior, and I was grateful anew to have a few days with my best friend in the chaos my life has become.
I was exhaustedby the time we returned home. Clenching the bag of tacos that Kallie and I had picked up for lunch, I nearly tripped over a small box in front of the door, sitting alone on the porch.
“Shit!” I cried out as I stumbled. Kallie shut the car door loudly, the click of her boots hitting the pavement as she hurried toward me.
“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? What is that? Is it a bomb?”
I looked down at the box and back at her. “Seriously? A bomb? Here?”
She shrugged and bent before me, retrieving the box, unfastening the lid, and peering down into the cardboard. “It’s…a pie.”
